


My Love for You is NOT Platonic...

by flapdoodle_noodle



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26487904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flapdoodle_noodle/pseuds/flapdoodle_noodle
Summary: That One Time Damian had to act as Marinette's family....that's going to be a challenge, considering the fact that he's romantically interested in her.(Also titled: Maribat Fake Family Prompt [on my Tumblr])
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 23
Kudos: 315





	1. Chapter 1

Damian resisted the urge to jump as his phone rang loudly across the room. He glared at it, ready to ignore the call when he read the caller ID on the screen. _Marinette,_ he thought as he answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Damian! You have to help me.” Marinette’s frantic voice whispered.

“Marinette, wha-”

“Imayhavetoldmyclassthatwe’resiblingsandnowtheywanttohavedinnerwitheveryone.”

Damian paused, unable to decipher the jumble of words Marinette had thrown at him. “… you did **what**?”

“I… may have told my classmates that we’re siblings, but they didn’t believe it so I may have invited them to dinner at the Manor?” Marinette replied anxiously. 

_Siblings?_ Damian panicked as he finally understood what she was saying. **_Siblings???_**

“And… why would you do that?” 

“Well…”

“ **Marinette**.” 

“Okay, fine - Lila was telling the class about the date that her ‘Damiboo’- that’s her nickname for you, by the way- is taking her out on a date tonight, and-”

**What. The fuck.**

“I would **never** date some harlot who throws my name around for fame- especially not one as low as **_her_**!” Damian roared. Who the fuck did she think she was?? 

“ _Yes_ , Damian, I know, don’t worry. Just let me _finish_.” Damian shut up as he registered Marinette’s tone. She sounded so _done._

“So she lied about you taking her out on a date, and I called her out. I told everyone that I _knew_ that you couldn’t be going on a date because we’re siblings and we have a mandatory family dinner tonight.”

Well, she wasn’t wrong about that. He was originally going to use dinner as a way to properly introduce her to Father and… wait, what?

“Hold on Marinette, what did you just say?”

“Hm? Oh, sorry! I was just wondering if you and your family could pretend that you adopted me or something, because we don’t look alike and I told the class that I was actually adopted and-”

Damian’s mind blanked. He thought of his adopted siblings. 

Black hair. Blue eyes. Traumatic childhood. ~~Heroes.~~

Fuck _._ He could already picture his father signing adoption papers for _real._

“Hello? Damian? Are you okay? I’m so sorry for springing this on you, but I could actually take down Lila’s lies with you and your family’s help. Can you do it?” she asked. Damian could _feel_ her hopefulness through the phone. And who was he to take that away?

“…Yeah, I’m here. I will talk to Father about this and we’ll settle the other details later.”

“Yes! Thank you so much Damian! This may actually work!”

But it was all he could hope that it didn’t. 

Because how are you supposed to woo someone when they’re your adopted sibling? 


	2. Chapter 2

Tim huffed as Damian told his brothers of Lila’s lies and Marinette’s plan. “So, this Lila girl is the source of the rumors floating around WE? Huh, at least we’ll be able to cut those off once they’re here…” **  
**

Dick squealed, shaking Jason’s shoulders. “That’s great and all, but did you miss the part where Sunshine gets to be my little sister for the day?! Yes!!!” Dick could finally get the little sister shenanigans he’d been hoping for!

Jason nodded in agreement as he swatted Dick’s arms away from him. “Yeah, Pixie Pop’s great. I can’t wait to see Bruce’s reaction when you tell him about all of this, Demon Spawn. Bet he’d agree in an instant, he’s always looking for more kids to adopt.”

Tim tilted his head, deep in thought. “Yeah, and she really fits the requirements. She’s got the dark hair and blue eyes, though I’m not too sure about the traumatic past…” He chuckled. “It’d be pretty funny if Bruce ends up _actually_ adopting her,” he joked. 

The brothers noticed Damian freeze slightly. He looked each of them in the eye, a determined look on his face. “We cannot let that happen,” he said. “We can’t.”

Jason grinned. “And _why_ can’t that happen, Demon Spawn? You got a crush on her or something?” he teased. Tim and Dick rolled their eyes, fully expecting Damian to snap at Jason’s ridiculous statement. 

But what no one expected was for Damian to _blush_.

Everyone’s jaws dropped, eyes wide as they watched their brother’s face light up a faint red. They couldn’t believe it. Damian, former assassin and Ice Prince of Gotham, blushed?!

“No way,” Tim stared, dumbfounded by Damian’s reaction. “Damian, do you… _like_ Marinette?” 

Damian’s face grew a shade brighter. He crossed his arms, collecting himself. “I believe…” he took a deep breath. “I _may_ have a crush on Marinette.” His lips twitched upwards only for a second, but it was long enough for the other men to notice it.

Dick was visibly shaking with excitement. “Ohmygosh baby bird!!! Your first crush! You’re growing up too fast,” he said as he pretended to swipe a tear from his eye.

“Yeah, it feels like only yesterday that you were chasing me around the Manor trying to kill me.”

“That’s because that did happen yesterday, Drake. You spilled coffee all over my school assignments and I snapped, remember?” Damian was still a little pissed about that. 

As the other two glared at each other, Dick squinted his eyes. “Wait, but isn’t she supposed to be your adopted sister? That doesn’t seem right,” he mused.

Tim and Jason’s eyes widened as they processed that thought before doubling over in laughter. Damian cursed his rotten luck, his ears turning red. 

“Oh man, Demon Spawn! How’re you gonna explain that one to everyone?” Jason cackled. 

“Good luck trying to convince B _not_ to adopt her,” Tim said earnestly. “You’re going to need it.”

“Tt.” Damian turned, leaving to look for his father. “I’ll make it work,” he assured. As he walked off, his brothers looked to one another before nodding conspiratorially. As much of a terror Damian could be, they’d do what they could to make sure their brother was happy. 

That, and if the plan worked out they could tease Damian about it for _months_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, I got a little impatient and didn't wait a full 24 hours to post this... ;]


	3. Chapter 3

“Father.”

“Damian,” Bruce looked up from his book to see his youngest son. “Is something wrong?”

“I just wanted to inform you of a change in tonight’s… events,” Damian responded hesitantly. 

Bruce raised his eyebrows. “A change? You were going to invite your friend Marinette over for dinner, yes?” Damian nodded in agreement. 

“Yes, and she is still coming over. But we will have to accommodate more people than we thought.”

“Oh? How many more people?”

“The rest of her class.”

Bruce stiffened, trying with all his might to hold back the sigh building in his throat. “… _Why_?” he asked.

Damian huffed. “Marinette has informed me of the lies one of her classmates, Lila Rossi, has told not only about Wayne Enterprises, but also about knowing the Wayne family personally through a romantic relationship with me. However, she came up with a plan to combat her classmate’s lies.”

“Oh? And what is this plan?”

A conflicted expression crossed Damian’s face for a split second before it settled into an ever-present frown. “She told her class that she is an adopted sibling, and invited them over for dinner to prove it.”

This time it was Bruce’s turn to frown. _Adopted sibling?_ He focused on those select words. _Wait, did I actually do that? I can’t remember… though it’s entirely possible I did._

“Father!” Damian’s sudden shout brought Bruce back to reality. “You haven’t adopted her.”

“…yet,” Bruce added. Hmm, he would probably have to ask her parents for joint custody, seeing as they were actually alive, but it would be worth it. She would be a welcome addition to their already-large family, even if she didn’t have a traumatic past like the rest of them. “You get along with her well enough, I hardly think her being your sister would change anything.” (Bruce, you fucking dumbass.)

“That’s the problem,” Damian bit out, ears going red. “She cannot be my sister.” 

“And why not?” Bruce was stumped. “She would fit in perfectly, what with her appearance, and we could even get her started on training for night patrols,” he murmured the last bit. 

“Must I say it aloud? Really, Father, you’re the _world’s greatest detective_ for a reason. Use your brain,” Damian bit out. Bruce (finally) put his thinking cap on and connected the dots. 

“Ah,” Bruce smirked. “You have feelings for her?” Damian’s cheeks flushed as he nodded slightly. “I’m glad you’ve found someone you enjoy being with. But how are you going to get out of this mess?”

His son straightened, looking him directly in the eyes. “We need to make sure that _idiot_ class knows that we only _think_ of her as family; as if she’s that close to us. It won’t be all that hard considering how charming Marinette is. You’ll see,” he crossed his arms triumphantly. Bruce noticed how easily he complimented the other girl. 

“And what of your feelings towards Ms. Dupain-Cheng?”

Damian paused, and tapped his foot anxiously. “I’ll have to talk to her about them before she and her peers get here.” He pulled out his phone, dialing who he presumed to be the girl in question. “I’ll go ahead and do it now.” Bruce cleared his throat, catching his son’s attention. He motioned for Damian to put the phone down for a second before he spoke. 

“Don’t wait to tell her how you feel, Damian. Trust me,” he sighed sadly. “I would know.”

Damian inclined his head in agreement. As he walked away, he turned back to Bruce, giving the man a meaningful look. “Thank you, Father.” 

_A far cry from the bratty ten year-old he used to be_ , Bruce thought as he gave him a small smile. _They grow up so fast._

“You have nothing to thank me for.”

*

Meanwhile in Paris, a certain bug-themed heroine was freaking out. 

“How could I do something so- so _impulsive_???” Marinette ranted to Tikki, pacing back and forth in her small room. “I’ve been dealing with Lila’s lies for years, she’s spouted much worse before! Why did I react like that?” Her thoughts flew her mind as she wrung her hands anxiously. “Not only did I lie, but we’d be imposing on Damian’s family… oh god, if they even agree! What if they don’t? Then the class will think of _me_ as the liar, Lila will win, I won’t ever be able to face Damian again-” she was broken out of her spiral as Tikki pinched her cheek. “Ouch! Tikki, what was that for?”

Tikki sighed. “You need to snap out of it, Marinette. Worrying about it won’t help anything. And besides,” Marinette’s phone rang, and the Kwami grinned. “I think you’ll be getting some good news now!” 

Marinette scrambled to pick up the phone, finally receiving the call after juggling it in her hands. “Hello?”

“Marinette, it’s Damian.”

“H-hey! Any news?”

“Actually, yes. My family and I decided we would go along with your scheme.” 

Marinette sighed in relief. “Oh, thank God. I worried you would refuse.” She chewed on her lip nervously. “But are you sure this is alright? I mean, I was supposed to meet your father today, and all of your brothers will actually be there tonight, and-”

“ _Marinette_. I told you, it’s fine. Everyone knows what they agreed to. And besides, it will be amusing for us to witness the liar’s downfall.”

She chuckled, relaxing a bit. “Yeah. I can’t wait for it.” Tapping her fingers on the desk, she asked, “When would be a good time for us to be at the Manor?”

“You should be here at 6, at the latest. That gives us time to expose all of her lies, and you’ll be back at your hotel before it gets dark.”

“Good point! Thanks, Dami.”

“Anytime, Habibti. Also-” Marinette heard a choking sound over the phone. 

“Damian?”

“… nevermind. It’s nothing, I’ll see you later this evening. Goodbye,” he coughed out as the call disconnected. Marinette frowned down worriedly at her phone. 

“What does Habibti mean?” she pondered as Tikki giggled at her shoulder. 

*

Damian coughed, clutching his chest in an attempt to calm his racing heart. _Good going, Damian._ He reprimanded himself. _Not only did you call her a pet name, but you didn’t even tell her about your feelings._ His thoughts wandered back to how naturally the name came to him, how he wanted to call her that all the time… he cursed himself. _Is this what love feels like?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, Damian. You've got it bad.


	4. Chapter 4

Marinette groaned as she and Chloe were forced to hear Lila’s conversation with the class from the back of the bus. The brunette was successfully painting Marinette in a bad light.

“I would have invited you guys to meet the Waynes sooner, but I didn’t want to impose on them like that! You all know how busy they are,” she sniffled. “I hope you can forgive me!” she cried as she burst into tears. 

Alya rubbed her shoulders in a comforting manner, sending a heated glare in Marinette’s direction. “You don’t have to apologize, girl! You’re always considerate of other people’s time, unlike _some people_ ,” she snarled. “The only person who should be apologizing is Marinette, I bet she didn’t even know who the Waynes were until you talked about them!” Alya reassured the Italian girl, who smiled through her crocodile tears. 

Chloe scoffed, turning her nose up. “How dense could they _be?_ We saw them when we did our internships at Wayne Enterprises,” she pointed out. “And that was last week.”

Marinette patted the blonde’s shoulder placatingly. “They lost their brain cells when Lila came along,” she sighed. “At least after dinner they’ll understand that they’ve been lied to for the past couple years.”

The rest of the bus ride was uneventful, much to Marinette’s relief. As the bus finally pulled up to the front of the Manor, they were met by the Wayne brothers. 

“Hello! Remember us?” Dick waved. “We met you guys last week at WE!”

As her class broke into whispers, trying to remember the four guys in front of them, Marinette cackled internally. _Game on,_ she thought as she approached the boys. 

"Hey Jay!” She went up to Jason first, who ruffled her hair playfully. “How’s my _favorite_ older brother?” 

“WHAT!” Dick screeched. “I thought _I_ was your favorite!!” 

“Guys, can you _not?”_ Tim sighed as he massaged his temples. He did _not_ have enough coffee for this. “Besides, she’s kidding.” He looked to Damian. “We all know _Damian’s_ probably her favorite.” He grinned smugly.

“Drake, if you don’t _take that back I’ll-”_

“Master Damian, Master Tim, please be _civil._ We have guests today,” Alfred reminded them. They straightened instantly, a shiver going down their spines. 

“Yes, Alfred,” they muttered. Alfred gave a satisfied nod, and led the _very_ confused class into the grand building. Marinette and Chloe snickered quietly at the awed looks on their classmates’ faces, although they too were impressed by the sheer size of the mansion. _What a beautiful place,_ Marinette sighed internally. She could get so much inspiration for designs just here, in the main 

“Welcome,” Bruce Wayne greeted them from the foot of the stairs. “I do hope you’ll feel at home here,” he said, gesturing for Alfred to guide the teens into the dining room. As the rest of the class turned their attention to the butler, Mr. Wayne walked up to Marinette, extending a hand. 

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Dupain-Cheng,” he said as they shook hands. “I’ve heard good things about you from Damian.” he spoke in a lower tone. 

Marinette blushed at the comment. “It’s a pleasure, Mr. Wayne. But please call me Marinette. Dupain-Cheng is a mouthful,” she chuckled. 

The corners of the man’s lips twitched upwards slightly before straightening back into a tight line. “Alright, Marinette. Though you should call me Bruce; after all, you’re supposed to know me quite well, from what I gathered.”

Marinette nodded in thought. “Of course, that makes sense… you being my ‘adopted father’ and all that.” She giggled. “Thank you.”

When Bruce raised an eyebrow, Marinette wondered if she had something wrong. But a look of understanding and realization flashed through his eyes as he inclined his head. “It’s no problem,” he assured her. “Besides, we can debunk some of the rumors that have been cycling through WE.” 

When they reached the dining room, they were met with chatter from her classmates, gushing about how cool the mansion was.

As Marinette settled into her seat Chloe and Damian, Rose spoke up.

“You’re the guy who showed us around WE, right?” she asked Dick, who was sitting at Bruce’s side near the end of the table. He nodded. “Yup! And for those of you who don’t remember, this is Jason,” he gestured to the man at his right, “that’s Tim,” he waved from across the table, “and you all know Damian!” The boy glared at his brother as the class stared at him. 

Alya harrumphed. “Of course we know him! He’s dating-”

“So how do you guys know Marinette again?” Lila interjected, smiling sweetly. “She claimed that she was adopted, but she already has parents in Paris! Were you _lying_ to us, Marinette?” Lila simpered. Their peers glared at the offending girl, who sat up straighter under their eyes.

“Actually, I-”

“She’s like a little sister to me!” Jason cried. Everyone (especially the Waynes) stared at him. 

“Like? But what about adopted? That’s not the same thing!” Alya shot back. Her friends nodded furiously, backing the ombre-haired girl.

“She’s so close to us, it’s _like_ she’s adopted!” Dick chirped. 

“She’s pretty awesome,” Tim agreed. Marinette flushed as Chloe was visibly holding back from laughing. 

“Well what do you know about her?” Alya interrogated. The three brothers flinched slightly, looking at one another for help. 

“Her favorite color used to be pink, but recently she’s been partial to green.” The Damian, eyes wide.

“Yeah, and she’s always wanted to be a fashion designer!” Dick added on weakly, glancing at Marinette. Alya narrowed her eyes. 

"Everyone knows that,” the bespectacled girl spat. “You barely know anything about her, and you say she’s even _close_ to you?” 

“She’s super sweet, and she brings me coffee at work whenever she’s there,” Tim pointed out. It was true, Marinette had been interning with him and his secretary alongside Chloe to understand more about running a business.

“And some nights we go for a spin around town!” Jason exclaimed proudly. Which was also true, but they probably didn’t need to know about _that_ specific thing. 

“Jason, you know how risky that is,” Bruce scolded. _So that was why he didn’t show up for patrol certain nights…_

“I’d say it’s a 69.87% chance they’re telling the truth,” Max concluded, readjusting his glasses. “But I still find it hard to believe.”

Someone cleared their throat. Heads turned to Damian as he began to speak. 

“Marinette… is a stubborn person.” Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, looking at Damian questioningly. He took a deep breath before he continued. 

“When I first met her, I thought she was annoying and naive. Not many people would go out of their way to buy food for children and people they saw on the street, or _very stupidly_ jump in between a mugger with a knife and their victim, and proceed to beat said mugger up. Not even Gothamites.” At that, the Waynes chuckled, surprised by what they were learning from _Damian,_ of all people.

“And not many people would try to talk to me after they first meet me,or try to help me open up to them, what with my ‘Ice King’ persona,” he smiled softly. “ _Especially_ not Gothamites.”

“But as she kept meeting me, I opened up to her a little bit more each time. I started looking forward to seeing her… with her bright smile and her ability to find the good in everything. She’s persistent.” He looked up to Marinette, eyes bright and filled with warmth. (What she didn’t know was that he had only ever looked at _her_ like had just then.) “

“And that’s what I love about her.” 

Incredulous shouts and something that sounded like sobbing erupted around them as Marinette blushed a brilliant red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go off, king!!! Wooing all the girls (1) with that charm.
> 
> Also, I'm impatient, so I posted this like seven hours earlier than I planned to. You're welcome~ ;3c


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE FINAL CHAPTER LET'S GOOOOOO

By the time Damian’s brain caught up with his mouth, most of the attention was already off him. Marinette’s classmates were locked in an intense shouting match with his brothers, yelling their opinions about his (lovesick) ramble. 

“Bro, he’s in love,” Nino called out. 

Kim nodded in agreement. “Yeah! There’s _no way_ you guys are family, he practically confessed in front of everyone!”

Huh. He did, didn’t he?

Dick waved his arms in frustration. “We never said _Damian_ saw her as family. She’s like a little sister to _us,_ not him!”

The class turned to him, waiting for him to defend himself. Even his brothers watched him, though they were probably just getting a kick out of all the chaos, if the mischievous glints in their eyes meant anything.

“You all heard my spiel barely a minute ago. Did that sound like something you would say to your sister?” A few students turned away at his words, looking somewhat perturbed by the fact that they had considered that. However, the majority stood fast, which honestly came as a surprise with how dull they seemed. He reminded himself that this stubbornness was coming from their thick skulls, not any of that ‘unparalleled resolve’ crap. 

“It could, actually,” the pink-haired girl supplied. “My brothers and I _always_ give each other pep-talks like that whenever we’re asked to explain our relationship.” 

He didn’t think anyone could tell if that was sarcastic or not. He couldn’t. 

“There’s no way you could’ve fabricated that. I’m a journalist, I should know!” Alya shook her head in thought. “But wouldn’t that mean you’re cheating on Lila?!” The idiots all gasped. Some stood up from their chairs, ready to throw down in Lila’s honor. Though he would have been more than content to take them on right now, he had more pressing matters to address. His father appeared to be thinking along the same lines as him as he cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention. 

“What do you mean, ‘cheating on Lila?’” Bruce took on an incredulous tone. It was a bit jarring hearing his father’s voice go higher than normal. Of course, no one else but their family would realize just how out of character the man was at the moment. 

“Mr. Wayne, surely you’d know about you own son’s relationships! How could you let this happen-”

“Who is Lila? I’ve never heard of her before. The only girl my son has ever talked about is Marinette.” He felt his ears begin to warm as his brothers guffawed in the background, obviously finding the truth of that statement hilarious. Sneaking a glance at the girl beside him, it was only then that he realized she was absent. 

“Was wondering when you’d notice,” Chloe piped up, examining her immaculate nails. “She probably ran off to the garden. We saw that on our way inside.” She appraised him carefully, as if trying to figure out the person beneath the cold exterior. 

Good luck with that. He was cold on the outside _and_ inside. ~~Though being around Marinette made him warmer than he’d like to admit.~~

“Did you actually just want to sit here and listen to their excuses? Like, I get it’d be satisfying to watch Lila’s kingdom crumble, but I think you have something you need to do.” She raised a single blonde eyebrow, smirking as if she had found what she was looking for. “I’ll record and send the melt-down to you later. You can watch it with Mari, she’ll be dying to watch it.”

*

Marinette exhaled deeply in an attempt to placate her racing heart. She was still trying to process the whirlwind of emotions that came with Damian’s… confession? Statement? She was so confused. If he really liked her that way, why would he agree to her request to act as her brother? 

Feeling Tikki press against her leg from the inside of her bag, she smiled gratefully at her kwami’s show of support. 

“What should I do, Tikki? He said such nice things about me, and then he said that he _loved something about me!!_ How am I supposed to respond to that?!”

“What if you told me how you really felt?” Someone whispered right behind her. Taken by surprise, she flipped the person over her shoulder, holding their arm at a painful angle. 

“Marinette, it’s just me,” Damian replied tightly. She quickly released him, mortified by the fact that she had just attacked the one guy she was definitely _not_ trying to avoid. 

“Damian! What are you doing here?” she asked nervously. She couldn’t bring herself to look at his face. 

“I was just looking for a place to get away from the chaos that’s unraveled in the dining hall,” there was a pause of hesitation before he stepped closer. “That, and I wanted to check on you. Are you… okay?”

She could feel her face warm upon remembering why she was there in the first place. Turning away from him, she replied, “I just wanted to clear my head. But I think I want to ask you something, now that you’re here.”

“… alright.”

“Did you really mean what you said?”

Damian looked stunned by her words. “What?”

“Is that really how you feel about me? I thought that we were just friends because you agreed to that plan I made, and I thought I knew how I felt about you, but now…” she bit her lip. “Now I’m not sure.”

It was quiet in the garden, with faint chirps and a shifting breeze being the only audible sound as the two figured out what to say next. 

That silence was first broken by Damian. “Marinette,” he began. “First off, this isn’t how I wanted my feelings to come to light. It was in the heat of the moment; the words just came naturally. But…” Marinette braced herself for his next words. “I would never lie to you like that.” Her eyes widened, and she turned around to see Damian watching her intensely, a hint of softness in his gaze. “I laid all my thoughts out for you to see. But I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything. I will eventually be able to let you go if you don’t feel the same, but if you do… I’ll wait for you.”

She could feel small tears of relief bud in her eyes. Wiping them away gently, she held her arms out for a hug. Damian complied, albeit tentatively. 

She listened to the sounds around her, the faint chirps, shifting breeze, and the soft breathing of the person in her arms. She could smell the intoxicating pollen of blooming flowers, the calming scent of his detergent (was that Downy? she loved Downy). But most importantly, she could feel all the support, all the trust he was freely giving her. She could feel the warmth in his gaze, and the chance he was taking, loving her. 

So she would take a chance, too.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Please wait for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading!! I had so much fun writing this :DDDD


End file.
